Hospital Sisters Health System Named 2017 Most Wired

Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) has been named “Most Wired” by the 19th Annual HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, released by the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Health Forum. The survey showed that technology is making it easier for patients and providers to interact. The investments hospitals and health systems, such as HSHS, have made in technology has been shown to improve communication, safety and patient-provider relationships. Furthermore, these new tools are helping patients become more actively involved in their care and maintaining their health.

HealthCare’s Most Wired® survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and March 15, 2017, is published annually by Health & Hospitals Networks (H&HN). The 2017 Most Wired® survey and benchmarking study is a leading industry barometer measuring information technology (IT) use and adoption among hospitals nationwide. The survey of 698 participants, representing an estimated 2,158 hospitals — more than 39 percent of all hospitals in the U.S. — examines how organizations are leveraging IT to improve performance for value-based health care in the areas of infrastructure, business and administrative management; quality and safety; and clinical integration. Health care organizations must meet specific requirements in each of these four areas to be named “Most Wired.”

“Our dedicated and knowledgeable IT team at HSHS works tirelessly to bring the most advanced technology to our hospitals and clinics for our patients,” Mary Starmann-Harrison, HSHS president and CEO, said. “We have successfully integrated technology into every part of our health system, from patient care to our administrative operations. I’m extremely proud of our IT team and for this recognition that they have deservedly earned.”

HSHS hospitals in the Central Illinois Division include HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, HSHS St. Mary’s Decatur in Decatur, HSHS St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield and HSHS Good Shepherd in Shelbyville.

According to the survey, Most Wired hospitals are using smart phones, telehealth and remote monitoring to create more ways for patients to access health care services and capture health information. This year’s results show:

76 percent offer secure messaging with clinicians on mobile devices.

When patients need ongoing monitoring at home, 74 percent use secure e-mails for patients and families to keep in touch with the care team.

62 percent add data reported by patients to the electronic health record to get a better picture of what is going on with the patient.

Nearly half of the hospitals are using telehealth to provide behavioral health services to more patients.

40 percent offer virtual physician visits.

More than 40 percent provide real-time care management services to patients at home for diabetes and congestive heart failure.

In recent years, HSHS has leveraged technology to give patients several treatment options, which is especially critical in small, rural communities when seconds count. For instance, the “tele-stroke care” program provides quick access to neurology specialists that may be more than 100 miles away. In the first three years of the tele-stroke care program, more than 1,500 emergency room stroke patients in Illinois received the critical care they needed to recover from potentially life-threatening and debilitating strokes. HSHS technology initiatives also include virtual health care visits through the HSHS Medical Group’s Anytime Care 24/7 application, where patients can connect with providers in the comfort and privacy of their own home through their computer or mobile device.

“Our technology initiatives have really strived to focus on patient-centered and patient-first care,” Dr. Ray Gensinger, HSHS Chief Information Officer said. “Technology has enabled us to serve patients and deliver high-quality health care like never before. Our efforts are cost-effective and convenient for the patients, which is the top priority.”

“The Most Wired hospitals are using every available technology option to create more ways to reach their patients in order to provide access to care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “They are transforming care delivery, investing in new delivery models in order to improve quality, provide access and control costs.”

Innovation in patient care embraces emerging technologies and underscores the need for secure patient information exchange. Hospitals have increased their use of sophisticated IT monitoring systems to detect patient privacy breaches, monitor for malicious activities or policy violations and produce real-time analysis of security alerts.

Most Wired hospitals are transforming care delivery with knowledge gained from data and analytics. They are investing in analytics to support new delivery models and effective decision-making and training clinicians on how to use analytics to improve quality, provide access and control costs.

82 percent analyze retrospective clinical and administrative data to identify areas for improving quality and reducing the cost of care.

Three-quarters use sophisticated analytics such as predictive modeling and data to improve decision-making.

32 percent have tools for real-time patient identification and tracking for value-based care conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Detailed results of the survey and study can be found in the July issue of H&HN. For a full list of winners, visit www.hhnmag.com.

###About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) mission is to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through our high quality Franciscan health care ministry. HSHS provides state-of-the-art health care to our patients and is dedicated to serving all people, especially the most vulnerable, at each of our 15 local systems and physician practices in Illinois (Belleville, Breese, Decatur, Effingham, Greenville, Highland, Litchfield, Shelbyville and Springfield) and Wisconsin (Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Oconto Falls, Sheboygan and two in Green Bay). HSHS is sponsored by Hospital Sisters Ministries, and Hospital Sisters of St. Francis is the founding institute. For more information about HSHS, visit www.hshs.org. For more information about Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, visit www.hospitalsisters.org.

About the Most Wired Survey
The 2017 Most Wired Survey is conducted in cooperation with the American Hospital Association and Clearwater Compliance, LLC.

About the American Hospital Association
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit www.aha.org.

About Health Forum
Health Forum is a strategic business enterprise of the American Hospital Association, creatively partnering to develop and deliver essential information and innovative services to help health care leaders achieve organizational performance excellence and sustainability. For more information, visit www.healthforum.com.

About Clearwater Compliance, LLC | https://clearwatercompliance.com/Clearwater Compliance, LLC is a leading provider of healthcare compliance and cyber risk management solutions. Its mission is to empower hospitals and health systems to successfully manage healthcare’s evolving cybersecurity risks and ensure patient safety. Exclusively endorsed by the American Hospital Association, Clearwater solutions have been deployed within hundreds of hospitals and health systems, Fortune 100 organizations and federal government institutions. More information about Clearwater Compliance is at http://www.Clearwatercompliance.com